India should emulate Sweden, use methanol as fuel: Gadkari

Panaji, Oct 13 (IANS) India should use pollution-free methanol as fuel on the lines of Sweden in order to curb the menace of pollution, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.

“We must use pollution-free methanol as fuel that is available at Rs 22 a litre. In Sweden, they are changing from diesel to methanol,” Gadkari said while speaking at the Sagar Discourse 2017, organised by the Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS) at a South Goa resort.

Gadkari said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre had initiated talks with engine manufacturers, including Wartsila and Cummins, among others, to make biofuel-compliant engines for Indian shipping vessels.

Expressing concern about pollution on land and sea, Gadkari said a new road lane would cost the country Rs 80,000 crore and also lead to 22 per cent increase in automobile population.

“We want to discourage road traffic and promote public and water transport,” he said referring to various work initiatives that have commenced in the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, and in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

“We are creating 40 river ports with three-metre draft and will have a river traffic control on the lines of air traffic control,” Gadkari said.

Emphasising on port-led development, Gadkari also said that $50-60 billion was being allocated for infrastructure development for port connectivity that would lead to $110 billion industrial investment and boost employment.